cover crop

American  

noun

1. a crop, usually a legume, planted to keep nutrients from leaching, soil from eroding, and land from weeding over, as during the winter.

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cover crop British  

noun

1. a crop planted between main crops to prevent leaching or soil erosion or to provide green manure

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Etymology

Origin of cover crop

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cover crop

“We want to rely on natural chemicals in the soil, like from our cover crop, which jump-starts that natural nutrient capacity of the soil.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025

Darby has spent 20 years working with Vermont farmers to grow cover crop rye.

From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2024

The declines varied depending on factors such as cover crop type, soil moisture and soil quality.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2023

Swiss-headquartered agrichemicals and seeds group Syngenta began offering a cover crop seed mixture in Spain this year.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023

The legumes fulfil the three requisites of the cover crop: protection, humus, and the storing of nitrogen.

From The Fat of the Land The Story of an American Farm by John Williams Streeter